Valve Fined $2.2M In Australia Over Steam Refunds

If buying games digitally, either on PC or console, has taught us one thing, it's that the idea of refunds is quickly disappearing. That's not always the case outside the US, however, where some countries' consumer protection laws still enforce refunds on digital purchases. It seems gaming giant Valve is learning that lesson the hard way, as an Australian court has fined the company AUD$3 million (nearly US$2.2 million) for not offering refunds on Steam purchases for several years.

Valve first got in trouble in the country back in 2014, when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission discovered Steam had not been following consumer regulations since its local launch in 2011. Valve lost its court battle earlier this year, and this new ruling sees it charged with the maximum fine amount, which is also 12 times more than what the company suggested it pay.

Throughout the case, it was learned that when Valve established Steam in Australia, it made no attempt to seek legal advise or make sure it was following local consumer protection regulations. This resulted in years of users agreeing to terms and conditions that were "designed to ensure Steam did not offer consumers any refunds," Justice James Edelman said.

When Valve suggested its fine be set at $250,000, Justice Edelman said that amount was "not even a real cost of doing business. It would barely be noticed."

While Valve quickly introduced a refunds policy when the case was first filed in 2014, the judge ruled that during the three years prior the company essentially ignored and made no attempt to follow Australian law.

SOURCE Sydney Morning Herald